Bruce Bosco
The reluctant leader of Pump-town, a Grayfell colony in the Badlands Territory, Bruce often feels others are more qualified. Despite this he is at the forefront of any project or welcoming committee that occurs. Biography Bosco was born in the ruins of Sioux Falls to scavers Lilith & Adman Bosco. An only child, Bruce was brought along by his parents on scavenging expeditions in the city. As he grew, Bruce would contribute more and more to their trips, and was considered something of an adult by 15. On one such expedition the Boscos found a pocket of radiation in one building they were exploring. Not possessing geiger counters, they were unaware of this for a week-and-a-half until they fell sick. While his parents died from radiation poisoning, seventeen year old Bruce survived. He would then build a cairn to cover his parents and settle back into the scavenger routine. He began to notice his hair and skin-flakes beginning to fall a short time later, but attributed it to lingering rads. Bruce was forced to acknowledge that he was mutating when his nose fell off and his sore-ridden body never healed. Thinking he was on the way to becoming a feral ghoul, he headed for the heart of the ruins, settling in a sewer system. There he stayed for six months, feeding off Radroaches and drinking dirty water. It would be during Thaw of 2184 that he emerged, not as a ghoul, but a Grayfell. He had heard the stories of 'half-ghouls' and assumed that was what he was. He returned to scavenging, but his appearance made it hard to trade, forcing him to leave the city in 2187. He drifted for a time, having no clear goal besides finding a place he could live. He stayed in The Free State of Vermillion for a week, but left due to it's militancy. He then followed the Missouri River north, relying on his looks and his crossbow to stay out of trouble. Bruce was passing near a small fishing village one day and hear a commotion, which he drew closer to see. The residents were chasing another 'half-ghoul,' this one looking wounded. Bosco hesitated briefly before approaching the mob, raising his hands and asking what the ghoul had done. They replied by telling him to leave before he was killed as well. Bruce then asked if he could take the ghoul with him, to which the mob leaders, likely not wanting bloodshed, surprisingly agreed to. Leaving as fast as they could before the humans changed their minds, Bosco introduced himself, to which his companion said his name was Sorkin. Sorking then told how he was a fisherman on the river until he fell in, getting soaked with radiation. He washed up in that village was being nursed back, until he started to change. The pair then traveled west, wintering in an abandoned farm fir 2188 before continuing. Bosco and Sorkin lived a transitory life for two decades, occasionally finding another companion, before entering The Gash in 2208. There Bosco and the others felt better, due to both the radiation as well as the isolation. They spent a year traveling the area, before finding humans in early 2209. The humans were members of a scavenging expedition seeking to exploit the relative isolation of the region, and were interested in hiring the Grayfell as scouts. Bosco was hesitant, wary of human prejudice, but agreed due to the approval of the others and the ring-pulls offered. The Grayfell began going in-front of the 40 strong scaver contingent, warning them of pockets of radiation by feel alone. This approach was naturally full of flaws, and most of the expedition was sick with rad poisoning by mid-year. The few that were unaffected returned south, leaving their comrades in the reluctant hands of the Grayfell, who did their best to treat them. Bosco gave out Rad-away equally to hopefully save as many as possible, but his efforts were in vain. Over a third would die, while another twenty-four became ghouls, all of whom were feral, while three lingered on, fighting as hard as they could. These three became Grayfell, boosting the group's numbers to eight. Bosco explained this conditions to the newcomers, though all were too depressed to appreciate it. The group drifted on, before one of them saw a structure rising out of the distance, and led the others to it. The structure turned out to be a oil refinery, which the drifters thought was a pumping operation. they settled there in 2210, looking through the buildings for any supplies, and discovered nests of Rad-roaches and Mole-rats. Bruce felt a sense of peace here, and jumped into restoring one of the bunkhouses with enthusiasm he hadn't felt since he was human. Bosco's life took on a simple routine after settling in, he spent part of the day scaving, some time hunting and the rest contemplating life. He hardly noticed as time passed, with births happening a few years after they settled. Scavers sometimes came to Pump-town as it became known, and the few that weren't scared off were treated civilly. Word slowly spread about the colony, and Grayfell drifted in over time, becoming a proper settlement in 2241. Bosco welcomed each newcomer in turn, helping them get settled and used to the town. He also helped to settle any disputes that arose, acting as both sheriff and judge. Bosco found a pet in 2280, a glowing Mole-rat who's den had collapsed, trapping it. Rescuing and naming it Clacky, Bosco made sure Clacky recovered and brought it everywhere with him. Despite Mole-rat being one of their primary food-sources, Clacky became something of a mascot for the settlement, with everyone looking out for it. With the onset of The Generals' War, Bosco saw an increase in trouble, having bounty-hunters and bigots trying to run them off. He would use his appearance to ward off the greener type of troublemakers, though he has had to lead the town underground when more serious types came. He has been trying to come up with a solution, but has been unable to so far. Personality Bosco was a bright & sunny child, always looking at the bright-side, but after his transformation, became withdrawn, even from other Grayfell. He has a reserve of courage, often demonstrated when saving other Grayfell or facing down bounty hunters. Despite this, he has no desire for violence, and simply wants to live in peace. Appearance Bosco usually wears wasteland clothes and home-made boots, but since the trouble started, he has made a crude set of metal armor. like most Grayfell he is missing large amounts of skin and hair, but doesn't look as mutated as ghouls. Category:Ghouls Category:Characters Category:Badlands